Dear sabbatical officers and NUS officers/committees, You may already know about the situation of at least Ten Gazan students awarded MA scholarships to study in the UK universities but have not yet been able to travel. This is mainly because the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK has ordered the UK office in Gaza to remain close though war is over. This means that students cannot apply for their UK visas or even travel because only visa holders can travel from Gaza. Thus the students are at danger of losing their scholarships. As there is no reason to keep the office close until now, I am urging you all to sign this petition as soon as possible, preferably by tonight. Thanks xx This year at least Ten students from Gaza have been granted MA scholarships at UK universities. At this moment in time none have been able to travel because the British Office in Gaza, where they need to apply for their UK visa, is closed until further notice. We are calling on the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to order the Gaza office to re-open. This is paramount to the students being able to keep their scholarships and therefore continue on their educational journeys. UK universities start in the last week of September which is rapidly approaching and students have October as the deadline to reach their universities. At this difficult post-war time, we are also standing in solidarity with young people and their right to access to education as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Due to the continuous siege on Gaza, UNESCO has reported that students are increasingly being forced into dropping out as tuition fees become un-affordable, which in turn impacts on the quality of education provided (60% of university funding is derived form tuition fees). As Max Gaylard, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory warns, isolating Gazas youth from the rest of the world and depriving them of this basic right could prove disastrous for long term prospects for peace. Signed by (so far) Yael Shafritz President at Sheffield SU Jose Diaz de Aguilar International Student Officer at Sheffield SU Malaka Mohammed Education Officer at Sheffield SU Miriam Rachel Women Officer at Sheffield SU Shreya Paudel International Student Officer at NUS Aisling Gallagher NUS Disabled Students Campaing Tom Harrison Welfare Officer at Sheffield SU * I will keep updating the post to add the signatures
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 18:02:21 +0000
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